Tracking the Tigers with MLB.com beat writer Jason Beck.

Tigers’ toughest opponent might be the calendar

If you like doubleheaders, you are going to like the Tigers’ second-half schedule.

If you don’t like trying to find something to do on days the Tigers aren’t playing, you’re going to love their second-half schedule.

If you want an easy road for the Tigers’ to a fourth consecutive AL Central title, well, you might not like this schedule.

The Tigers entered the All-Star break having played at least three fewer games than any other AL team. Those are postponed games from early in the season that have to be made up — one cold-out against the Indians on April 15, one rainout from Minnesota April 27, and another rainout from Chicago last month.

All of those games are going to be made up with Saturday day-night doubleheaders, three of them in a seven-week stretch starting this weekend. And all the extra rest — in the case of April, way too much — the Tigers received in April is about to come back to haunt them:

They open the second half with 11 games in 10 days across three time zones, capped by a four-game series in California against an Angels squad that was rolling into the break.

They get an off-day coming back from the coast, then play 20 consecutive days — including a nine-game, three-city trip to New York, Toronto and Pittsburgh.

Then comes the most interesting test of all: 24 games over 23 days in five cities, including day-night doubleheaders on back-to-back Saturdays in Minnesota and Chicago. The doubleheaders nullify the off-day.

And the team that had six scheduled off-days from April 1 to May 1 (plus two more off-days from rainouts) will have just five off-days from Friday until the end of the regular season.

That means three spot starts for Robbie Ray or somebody else from Triple-A Toledo. (The Tigers can take advantage of MLB’s 26th-man rule to add an extra player for those doubleheader days, so nobody has to go down to make room.)

Well beyond starting pitchers, though, that means a test of the Tigers’ depth, including a bullpen that has some well-used setup men in Joba Chamberlain and Al Alburquerque. They’ve pitched in 41 and 45 games so far this year, respectively.

The Tigers who made the All-Star team already had plans to rest up before the stretch starts. Ian Kinsler was heading back to Detroit, rather than traveling home to Texas and dealing with the heat.

“It’s going to be nice to put your feet up a little bit, relax for a couple days, just hang out, just drink a lot of water, eat some good meals and get ready for the second half,” he said. “So it’s going to be nice to have those two days.”

Max Scherzer said Tuesday night he was going to spend Wednesday in Minnesota and relax before heading back to Detroit, rather than dealing with the travel mess that usually comes with the day after the All-Star Game.

“You saw us make a couple runs in the first half. When we’re winning games and we’re turning the rotation over with Justin and Max at the top of it and the way Porcello’s been throwing, if we can continue to turn that rotation over, it’s going to be easy for us. It shouldn’t be that tough without those days.”

For starting pitchers, it’s a little easier, because it keeps them in a routine of starting every five days.

“Maybe [it gets tiring],” Scherzer said. “But at the same time, at this point in the year, you just get so numb to the grind. You just expect waking up, coming to the park and playing baseball. Having extra days and less off-days, it really doesn’t faze us anymore.”

Following kathy´s question, replay was supposed to be used last night. Guillen and the ESPN in español crew were arguing about that. If home field advantage is on the line , replay should be used. The team with home field advantage has been the winner of the WS since 2009 . FWIW: I stick to my position, it is MLB not he NFL or soccer and the Tigers are playing better on the road

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